It’s spring in Montreal, and the Canadiens are going to the playoffs. Can we really ask for more?
After punching their postseason ticket last week, the Habs’ hot streak has remained intact. And while they’re racking up points, they remain stuck in third place in the NHL’s uber-competitive Atlantic Division.
There may only be a handful of regular-season games before the most exciting time of the hockey calendar rolls around, but given how the math has been mathing, we can still only speculate who the Canadiens’ Round 1 opponents will be.
In case you’re wondering, here are Montreal’s three most likely first-round matchups right now.
1. Buffalo Sabres
Right now, the most likely scenario is a straight-up Atlantic Division 2-vs-3 matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
Buffalo sits tied with Montreal at 102 points (47-23-8). They’ve been one of the bigger surprises this season and play a fast, skilled style that should make for some highly entertaining (and very high-scoring) playoff hockey.
Under NHL rules, the top three teams in each division face off in the first round, so unless something crazy happens in the final games, this matchup feels like the most realistic outcome.
A Habs-Sabres series would also pit two of the league’s youngest and fastest teams against each other. The two clubs have split their season series 2-2, with each winning twice. The Sabres have been strong at home lately, but Montreal has been on fire (9-1-0 in their last 10), so it’s anyone’s guess who will claim home-ice advantage.
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
Every Habs fan still remembers 2021.
That run to the Stanley Cup Final was magical, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were the team that ended it in five games. Now, four years later, a first-round series against the same Lightning could be on the menu.
Tampa currently sits atop the Atlantic with 102 points (48-24-6), boasting a nasty +60 goal differential and the kind of veteran experience that makes them dangerous in the playoffs. They’ve got the goaltending and the structure that carried them to back-to-back Cups not long ago.
If the standings shake out just a bit differently in these final games, Montreal could very well draw Tampa again. It would be a fascinating matchup: the young, speedy Habs against a still-dangerous Lightning team with plenty of playoff pedigree.
It would also feel personal.
3. Boston Bruins
The third (and slightly less likely, but very possible) option is a first-round date with the Boston Bruins.
Boston is currently hanging onto the first wild-card spot with 96 points, but they’ve been slumping hard lately (on a four-game losing streak). Still, we all know how dangerous the Bruins can be in the playoffs, and nothing gets Montreal fans fired up quite like a Habs-Bruins series.
For this to happen, the Bruins would probably need to secure a wild-card berth while the Atlantic top three get reshuffled. It’s not the most probable path, but with how tight everything is, it’s definitely not off the table.
And let’s be honest, a playoff series against Boston would blow the Bell Centre roof off.
Bottom Line
The Atlantic Division is an absolute bloodbath this year, and with only a few games left, the picture can still change a lot. Tampa, Buffalo, and Montreal are basically tied, and even Boston and Ottawa aren’t completely out of the mix yet.
But no matter who they draw, this young Montreal team has earned its playoff return. The excitement is building, and Habs fans are ready for whatever comes next.
